At 2 p.m. Saturday, Exposition Avenue was empty except for a handful of people dressed head-to-toe in mid-'60s garb. As they filed inside Eight Bells Alehouse, they were greeted by other men and women who were also decked out in everything from flowery headbands to long, curly wigs; fringe vests; and pastel-colored, pearl snap shirts. The mustaches would have made Frank Zappa do a double take.

The group stopped briefly to compare getups. A tall man greeted them and asked if they were there for the concert. When they said they were, he ushered them to a nearby table. Instead of purchasing tickets, they signed waivers.

Around 30 people showed up Saturday at the request of Chris Brickler and Max Hartman, who run a virtual reality company. MyndVR is based in Addison and produces original virtual reality content geared toward adults ages 55 and older. The company filmed a new scene to add to its virtual reality repertoire, a private concert by Chris Holt and Chad Stockslager, who were posing as Simon and Garfunkel.

The actors who crowded the room were primarily friends of Brickler, the company's co-founder, and Hartman, its new creative director. Holt and Stockslager warmed up to “I Am a Rock” while a crew of videographers set up two 360-degree cameras on either side of the stage. The footage would later be edited into a virtual reality scene and sent to senior living homes throughout the United States.

"The thing that's phenomenally interesting to me is the teleportation capabilities of this technology to bring people back to a time period that they feel comfortable with." – Chris Brickler

“The thing that’s phenomenally interesting to me is the teleportation capabilities of this technology to bring people back to a time period that they feel comfortable with,” Brickler says. “We want to transport the senior who is in Iowa or Florida or California or wherever back to a 1967-ish time, when the styles were really transforming. This particular artist group, Simon and Garfunkel, were really instrumental in that musical transformation from the more cheesy '60s-style to people hanging out in coffee shops and listening to folk music for the first time. It was a revolutionary time.”

Someone lit candles around the dark room to give it a New York coffee shop vibe, which was the intended setting of the concert. Hartman directed the actors where to sit and told them to act natural and enjoy the show. Treat the camera like it's just another concertgoer, he said.

Khurk Maeder and Michael Hickey, the owners of Eight Bells Alehouse, were at the bar slinging drinks.

“First round’s on me,” Hartman shouted over the crowd. “We’ll get started here in a minute.”

This is the second concert Brickler and Hartman have hosted in Dallas for MyndVR. The first one was at The Balcony Club in Lakewood about a year ago, where Hartman — who does a Frank Sinatra act in Dallas under the stage name Max Vontaine — performed Sinatra's music.

They premiered the footage with 350 adults living in senior homes across the country and couldn’t have been more pleased with the response. “The memories that were induced by these folks and the happiness and joy factor were just off the charts,” Brickler says.

“We really expected there to be issues,” Hartman adds. “We thought they wouldn’t like the goggles or maybe people would get dizzy, but like 99 percent of the people just love it.”

MyndVR doesn't just film concerts. The company filmed a goat farm in Kansas a couple of months ago, aimed at people who grew up on farms; it filmed a sunset from a porch; and it's currently toying with the idea of filming a woman baking cookies in a '50s-style kitchen. The intention is to create a nostalgic experience for adults with dementia or Alzheimer’s and to help adults with illnesses that limit them physically, like Parkinson’s disease.

"One of the pieces of feedback that we received is that the Sinatra thing worked really well for the 85- to 90-year-old folks, but baby boomers who grew up on mid-'60s music, like Simon and Garfunkel, those people are starting to move into assisted living, and they have time on their hands and want to experience this kind of stuff," Brickler says. "They might not be as mobile as they used to be, but virtual reality sort of solves that problem. So that’s what we’re doing at MyndVR."

The concertgoers Saturday didn't have to do much acting to convey enjoyment of Holt and Stockslager's performance. The duo gave an impressive concert of Simon and Garfunkel’s most popular songs. They were dressed the part, did their best verbal impersonations and even greeted the camera at "Table 5."

Hartman says MyndVR plans to do some country shows in the future — maybe Johnny Cash, Grand Ole Opry or Patsy Cline. He and Brickler hope to keep growing the company so that they can create more elaborate scenes.

“We’re asking seniors who’ve experienced this what they would like to see more of,” Hartman says. “The music content is ranking highest of everything.”

He was the singer with a hauntingly beautiful voice who penned some of the most poignant songs of the 60s and 70s. There are plenty of people that would kill to have seen Roy Orbison perform when he was alive but how about paying to watch him now as hologram?

"Of course I'd rather see him play live but, in this case, there are so many people that just missed out seeing my dad," Roy's youngest son Alex explains. "People that weren't even born or that just want to see one more show."

Orbison was 52 when he died of a heart attack in 1988. Thirty years later, he is about to sing again on a new world tour, supported on stage by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

We were invited to see the technology early on and he was beamed in as a hologram into the room I was in. Once we saw the way it moved, it does have an incredible look... It had to pass our sniff tests and we're confident that, if we believe in it, the fans will believe in it too.

As hologram technology itself has advanced it is slowly becoming more popular.

It started with rapper Tupac wowing crowds with a one-off performance at Coachella music festival in 2012, almost two decades after his death. In November this year, deceased heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio began a world tour supported by the musicians he once played with.

As ridiculous as it may sound, death is no longer a barrier for an artist getting work. But, although Roy Orbison's tour promises to be a unique experience, not everyone's a fan of the concept.

Critics have questioned if it's morally right to resurrect a dead artist without knowing if it's what the artist would want and whether or not a hologram can ever really provide value for money for fans.

"There's always something to be critical about - what would the critics find to do if they weren't being critical?" Alex says.

"We waited for the technology to catch-up, to make sure we have something that's believable. It's something that's not just an old concert re-broadcast, my dad will be appearing on stage and running through a set like he was here today."

:: Roy Orbison: The Hologram Tour will arrive for 10 dates in the UK in April.

He was the singer with a hauntingly beautiful voice who penned some of the most poignant songs of the 60s and 70s. There are plenty of people that would kill to have seen Roy Orbison perform when he was alive but how about paying to watch him now as hologram?

"Of course I'd rather see him play live but, in this case, there are so many people that just missed out seeing my dad," Roy's youngest son Alex explains. "People that weren't even born or that just want to see one more show."

Orbison was 52 when he died of a heart attack in 1988. Thirty years later, he is about to sing again on a new world tour, supported on stage by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

We were invited to see the technology early on and he was beamed in as a hologram into the room I was in. Once we saw the way it moved, it does have an incredible look... It had to pass our sniff tests and we're confident that, if we believe in it, the fans will believe in it too.

As hologram technology itself has advanced it is slowly becoming more popular.

It started with rapper Tupac wowing crowds with a one-off performance at Coachella music festival in 2012, almost two decades after his death. In November this year, deceased heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio began a world tour supported by the musicians he once played with.

As ridiculous as it may sound, death is no longer a barrier for an artist getting work. But, although Roy Orbison's tour promises to be a unique experience, not everyone's a fan of the concept.

Critics have questioned if it's morally right to resurrect a dead artist without knowing if it's what the artist would want and whether or not a hologram can ever really provide value for money for fans.

"There's always something to be critical about - what would the critics find to do if they weren't being critical?" Alex says.

"We waited for the technology to catch-up, to make sure we have something that's believable. It's something that's not just an old concert re-broadcast, my dad will be appearing on stage and running through a set like he was here today."

:: Roy Orbison: The Hologram Tour will arrive for 10 dates in the UK in April.

Eyellusion CEO Jeff Pezzuti has spoken of the “unforgettable experience” of taking its Ronnie James Dio hologram on the road, as the company wraps up a successful first leg of its Dio Returns tour.

Dio Returns: The World Tour, announced last summer, kicked off in November and wrapped up at Trix (1,100-cap.) in Antwerp just before Christmas. The tour – produced in partnership with local promoters – is expected to visit the US this spring and play festivals globally through the summer.

The hologram, which is backed up by the late Dio’s former band, Dio Disciples, made its debut at Wacken Open Air in August 2016.

“Last month, we had the privilege of reuniting the late Ronnie James Dio’s fans in celebration of the timeless music he left behind,” says Pezzuti. “The incredible Dio band and our Ronnie James Dio hologram played seven countries and ten dates in 18 days. As the Dio Returns shows went on and word spread about this special experience, the crowds kept growing. By the final dates of the tour, thousands were coming out for an unforgettable experience.

“It’s not easy to be the first to do something in an industry that doesn’t change all that often. But we’re fans first”

“It’s not easy to be the first to do something in an industry that doesn’t change all that often. But we’re fans first. We had a vision that the music that has helped form the foundation of rock and roll should be passed down for generations and generations to enjoy. In the current business climate, that means live tours. After all, there’s nothing quite like leaving everything behind for just a night to join fellow fans for an unforgettable experience. It’s about the sound, the lights, the memories – just getting lost in the moment.

“A huge thank you to the extended Dio Family for their unflinching support as we set out together to make history. None of this would have been possible without Wendy Dio, the band, the crew and everyone else who believed in us. With a successful tour leg under our belt, we head to Pollstar Live! next month to meet again with the industry and start plotting the rest of the dates that will feature even more songs and a bigger stage show. Yes, we’re truly just getting started!”

If this thing works and the fans buy into it, your lazy or impaired or whatever pop star will be able to stay home and send his or her ageless/photo shopped hologram out to tour the new album.....The record companies would love it.....The Rolling Stones will tour forever, and have the ability to perform the same show simultaneously to sold out venues across the world.....Any future Live Aid type deal will be a doddle.....You could resurrect the Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd, Waters and Gilmour will get back together, think of the possibilities.....Oh yes the corporations will love it!

_________________hey punk, where you going with that borscht on your shirt?

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